I woke up today on literally the wrong side of the bed, having an intense allergic reaction…to dust. I knew immediately that this wasn’t just a few sneezes. No. This was going to ruin my entire day. I’m lucky to be generally blessed with good health. But allergies—especially to dust, and also, sadly, to cats—are another story.
What’s upsetting about this is that I thought today was going be special. Beautiful even. It’s Friday which those of us in the know call Venus Day. (In English, Friday’s etymology leads back to the norse goddess Frige, but in other languages—vendredi en français for example—Venus is there in plain sight.) And today isn’t just any Friday. Today is the last Friday—Venus Day—with Venus in Pisces. In fact, it’s the last Friday with Venus in Pisces without the co-presence of bad boy Saturn until 2026. Venus is exalted in Pisces. I expected that today was going to be one to revel in, soak up, enjoy. But instead, I woke up with runny eyes, inflamed sinuses and the unseasy nausea that comes with swallowing too much phlegm.
For me personally, these last few weeks have been my Venus return. I was born with Venus in Pisces. In my chart though, Venus doesn’t occupy one of the “cute” houses. No. She resides in the sixth house of labor, routine and managing dis-ease. I thought I could spend today writing in a robe while the rain pattered outside my window. But instead, I spent most of the day cleaning the floors, changing my sheets and addressing the real culprit: the oscillating fan. 90 minutes of my day were spent meticulously wiping dust from each individual grid and blade. I thought about just buying a new fan. But that one would eventually get dusty too. Might as well address the problem at the root.
The sixth house is all about maintenance, and over the last few weeks, exalted Venus hasn’t necessarily made my day to day magical, but she has pointed out over and over again where the holes in my life that are keeping me from thriving. I cover my mattress and pillows in dust covers. Why can’t I clean that goddamn fan more than once a year? Why do I always wait until it’s an emergency? This is the thing with exalted planets—what goes up must come down, high highs come with low lows. Exalted planets have such a hard time with stasis, neutrality, existing in the in-between. It can be less about quality and more about drama. Exalted planets are VIPs and honored guests. And though being a VIP sounds good in theory and usually is in practice, sometimes the night ends with you blacked out and passed out on someone else’s couch. VIPs get carried away. Think: Michael Imperioli (who was born with the Moon exalted in Taurus) throwing his Emmy in the trash. To exalted planets, especially exalted Venus in Pisces, fluctuation and extremes feel like security.
That being said, I appreciate Venus’ ability to lovingly nudge me out of stillness and into action. I wrote most of this note while hunched under an awning at an outdoor café, rain and wind causing a bit of chaos on the street in front of me, a matcha latte in my other hand. I thank Venus in Pisces for helping me know how to pull myself up when I’m feeling very down, to see the bright side of things, to embrace the highs when all signs are pointing to low.
Venus first entered Pisces on January 26th; she’ll move onto Aries on February 20th. This weekend is her last in the sign of her exaltation. For each sign, she’s boosted a different part of life through her transit in Pisces:
Aries risings - collective efforts, mental health, and ways of letting go
Taurus risings - community, audience, and career gains
Gemini risings - public image, leadership, and visibility
Cancer risings - philosophies, beliefs, and big projects
Leo risings - shared resources, debts, and the willingness to go deep & break taboos
Virgo risings- relationships, contracts, and agreements
Libra risings- routine, daily work, and health concerns
Scorpio risings- pleasure, romance, and creativity
Sagittarius risings- home, family, and privacy
Capricorn risings- familiar environment, close friends, and daily communication
Aquarius risings- income, belongings, and self esteem
Pisces risings- image, identity, and health
Considering the area where Venus has been transiting for your sign, what fluctuations have you experienced over the last few weeks? What highs do you want to keep? What lows do you want to resolve? The moon is waning in her balsamic phase this weekend, making this a great time to reflect and take stock. (& as always if you want to dig into more of how the transits are reflecting for you, you can book a reading with me).
Some things that I’ve loved and been inspired by in this last week or so to check out while you reflect:
A conversation between Chris Brennan and Adam Elenbaas on fate & free will in astrology, among many other things. I was a fatalist long before I was an astrologer (though I will say I’m now a much more optimistic or zen fatalist) — would love to hear where you stand on this!
Feist announcing a new album, releasing 3 new tracks & doing a little “live” Valentine’s show that reminded me of why she’s always inspired me as an artist. Dating back to the live overhead projections that were part of her 2007 The Reminder tour.
Sweet Dreams Nadine (my friend Nadia Hulett’s band!) announcing a new album and releasing a fresh track + video!
Marina Zurkow’s World Wind gallery show at bitforms in the LES. It closes tomorrow (2/18)! Art that grapples with the messy overlap of the personal and political in our current climate disaster while still managing to imagine an optimistic future.
I also rewatched the entirety of Mike White’s Enlightened (as “research” for a larger piece I’m writing on White’s astrology). I urge you to do the same. Especially if you are a fan of White Lotus and have never seen it. The show was frighteningly ahead of its time. (Remember 2011?) Also Laura Dern is a Pisces stellium with sweet Venus in Pisces on the ascendant making Amy Jellicoe the perfect avatar for these times.
Download for Monday’s New Moon in Pisces coming for paid subscribers later this weekend. Plus a few other things in the works that I’m v excited about.
Have a lovely weekend bbz.
xoxo
Jaime